Work Text
The check-in was smooth and effortless, as it always had been, but this time things were a little different.The female receptionist smiled at Jimin with something genuine until his ID was swiped and his personal data populated onto her computer screen. Her mouth weakened as her eyes roamed and fingers typed.“Park Jimin, Omega and…Third Run, correct?” she confirms with a slight hesitancy. Jimin nods back with a polite smile of his own as he pockets his ID. She noticeably avoids his gaze from there while she slides a card through a scanner before slipping it and its attached lanyard across the counter to him, “this is your access card, please proceed to the blue door on the right for your next instructions,” Jimin glances at the card before placing the lanyard over his neck, “And good luck, Mr. Park,”Jimin flinches as he walks away. The words shouldn’t faze him because he hears it every time, but this time the receptionist puts pressure and intent behind them.Behind the blue door, a team of medical professionals guide Jimin through a large room with other Omegas chit-chatting around him, thickening the air with their giddiness and excitement. The line-up passes through different small stations where they ask invasive questions that still baffle him.“Last sexual activity?”
U-uh…no—I’m not sexually active?
“No bonding has occurred prior to now?”Well, no or else I wouldn't be here.“Heat cycles are regular?”Pretty regular.“Have you ever spent a heat with someone or a rut with an Alpha?”
I, what? No, I already said—
Jimin is mentally exhausted near the end of the line-up, but he knows he only has to deal with a few more pokes and prods before he is finally pricked with the infamous immunization fluid. It hurts when it's injected, just like it did the previous two times Jimin received it. A few more minutes pass before that familiar crawling sensation tickles behind his ears, wrists and other scent hotspots.He is led into a small area closed off by a curtain where he changes into some blue scrubs he is given, along with a small Tupperware container to put all his personal belongings.From there, Jimin is handed a pamphlet and time-table that dictates his next three days, four if including the Run itself.“Please,” Jimin whispers to himself while laying in his sleeping pod for the designated resting period he has before dinner, “please, find me this time.” Park Jimin comes from a long line of Omega-Alpha pairings bonded through the age-old tradition of State-Sponsored Runs. Although the Parks weren’t wealthy or famous, they were infamous due to their history of having irresistible scents that had others clawing at each other to smell and mark. It’s said to be something that's delicious, fertile and bountiful, all rolled into one scent.“Third Run, eh?” Taehyung says as he pokes around his bland rice and chicken dish, “Aren’t you Parks supposed to be like, candy or something?”Jimin winces as he plays with his own plate of white grub, “yeah, I guess the genes decided to skip a generation,”Taehyung had been friendly with Jimin the last year, excitedly chatting Jimin’s ear off since it had been his own First Run. Jimin barely got in two words during the three days before the Run happened and then they went their separate ways.“What about your siblings?” Taehyung asked with his eyebrows knitting, “are they the same as you or…?”“My younger brother presented as a Beta,” Jimin murmured, trying to bite back the jealously threatening to come through.Betas have it easy, in Jimin’s opinion. They don’t have to worry about stupid Runs or family legacies or whatever. They only have to meet a nice whoever, get bonded and live happily ever.Jimin, on the other hand, was an Omega. An Omega doomed to a rocky life if he didn’t find anyone on this Run.“Oh hey,” Taehyung motions his head to behind Jimin, “The Alphas are finally taking a peek,”Jimin sighs before turning in his seat to the plexiglass wall a few meters behind him. Beyond it mimics the cafeteria much like the one Jimin and Taehyung were in, with its steel tables and attached chairs. The only differences were the array of people standing in their red scrubs with their eyes flying back and forth as they assess the available Omegas.“You think they can smell us through that?” Taehyung drawls from behind Jimin. Jimin snorts as a reply while his own eyes roam. They see a few familiar faces from the previous two years, and obviously a whole load of new ones.“Whoa,” Taehyung says suddenly, smacking his hand on the table and causing Jimin to whip around, “Dude at three o’clock is totally staring you down,”Jimin freezes immediately, a sense of foreboding washing over him, “don’t tell me, about 6 foot, bright red hair and a giant shit-eating smirk?”“You know him?” Taehyung asks, “the arrogance is nearly leaking out of his pores,”Jimin grimaces while looking over his shoulder to confirm his suspicions, “yeah, I know him,” The guy in question then has the nerve to lick his lips when Jimin looks his way.“What’s his story?”Jimin fully turns around and away from the guy with his own lips distorting in disgust, “he somehow found out I was a Park right before my second run and has been…persistent.”“Smells gnarly, does he?” Taehyung snickers, “I assume he doesn’t take hints very well,”“The only benefit to whatever genetic anomaly I have was that he couldn't find me during the Run,” Jimin replies bitterly, glancing once more over his shoulder but this time he finds himself doing a double take.The jerk seems to be engaged in a heated conversation with another Alpha, a new one if Jimin’s memory serves him right. Suddenly, a fist goes flying, causing a universal gasp among the Omegas, but the new Alpha dodges it easily. He then dodges the next flying fist with what looks to be even less effort. A blink of an eye and a group of security personnel forcefully pull the hot-headed Alpha back before a third fist attempts to land. The new Alpha only continues to be stoic as the security drags the other enraged Alpha away. When the security is out of sight, the new Alpha turns his head and meets with Jimin’s wide-eyed gaze. He nods once, a single and stiff motion, in Jimin’s direction before he darts his eyes away and scratches the back of his head.“That was…” Taehyung mutters lowly, “interesting, do you know that one too?”“No,” Jimin whispers back, watching as the new Alpha walks away with a wide girth left around him by his Alpha peers.“Chivalry ain’t dead then?”Jimin finally turns back around and is greeted with Taehyung’s small smirk. Jimin’s insides squirm at the hidden meaning behind it but he tells himself to calm the fuck down. Whatever just happened was nothing. Don’t form expectations.“I’m gonna be late for the afternoon classes,” Jimin chooses to reply with, standing up with his half empty food tray. Taehyung only frowns back and looks down, offering a small hand wave as his own goodbye.As Jimin walks towards the cafeteria exit, he swears he can feel something glaring into the back of his head. He looks over to the plexiglass wall just before exiting and his eyes connect with the new Alpha's. A flustering heat immediately spreads across his cheeks, neck and chest, and god, this needs to stop. Jimin wills his spine to straighten just before he nods once to the new Alpha, much like the Alpha had done earlier, and then Jimin promptly bolts. It takes about three days for the immunization fluid to reach full potency, so the classes are how the State fills the time between the Runners’ arrival and the actual Run itself.There’s always a mandatory “What to Expect During The Run" course that every Omega has to take, and what Alphas probably have to take as well during the first day. Jimin luckily catches some sleep during that three hour lecture.There’s also a "Bonding 101" course, which Jimin took both his First and Second Run but has chosen to opt out of this time around.There’s also courses given out depending on how many Runs you’ve done. The First Run course is packed and filled to the brim with peppy, fresh-faced Omegas eager to get out and bond. The Second Run course has a reduced size of about half, Omegas now calm and less excitable, having done a Run before, but still perky with the chance to bond again. The Third Run course only has handfuls of Omegas, who are jittery and nervous, worried that their last run will be fruitless. Jimin can’t deny that he feels the same as everyone else around him in the course. “Third Run Omegas are not the leftovers, despite what bitter peers may say,” the lecturer scolds, stern and powerful with his voice, “Remember, new Alphas show up every run and previously shy Alphas break their hesitancy,”The fellow Third Run Omegas loosen at his words, but Jimin is still stiff and tense. He has a lot more on the line if this last Run doesn’t work out for him after all.“Bring an Alpha home this time, Jimin,” his Omega father told him with a kiss to his left cheek. Jimin knows both his fathers deeply desire at least one Omega or Alpha grand child to carry on the Park genes, though they’ve never directly shared this with Jimin. But, late at night, Jimin can only lie sleepless while whispers echo through thin walls.If Jimin comes out of this Run without a bond, he’ll have to take the mandatory Exit course that every Omega after their Third Run dreads. The whole course has the intention of raising hopes while stamping cautious words across what the future holds for them.“What if I’m impotent?” Jimin whispers out into the air one night in his bed, “and that’s why Alphas can’t smell me,”“It’s 2 am, for fucks sake,” his brother groans, rolling around in his bed next to Jimin’s, “and fuck Alphas, if they don’t smell the high quality shit you’re sprouting then it’s their lost.”“But what if?” Jimin insists, turning onto his side and staring at his brother.“Then find a nice girl and knock her up instead,” his brother hisses with a glare before taking his covers and putting them over his head, “there’s nothing wrong with having a goddamn Beta child,” the words are sour and sharp underneath the covers and Jimin should have kept his mouth shut.“Sorry,” he whispers to his brother’s covers, but his only reply is a loud, drawn-out, and fake snore. Jimin hates the mandatory outdoor courses the most.Each day, all the Omegas and Alphas are taken out together, separated only by chain-linked fences. It’s a chance for everyone to get a breath of fresh air and catch a whiff of the potential mates across the yard. The first day, Alphas usually show off, tossing their scrub tops off as if they’re offensive to their existence and pump iron in front of the chain-link fences, trying to catch eyes with the Omegas.Almost all Omegas opt for the large oval running track. First Run Omegas usually shyly smile and avoid eye contact as they lightly jog, while Second Run Omegas are usually more flirtatious, winking and smiling at the Alphas that interest them as they run. Third Run Omegas are the ones that run the fastest, hoping the extra effort and sweat will strengthen their scent and finally catch an Alpha’s attention. Jimin chooses to do none of that. He thinks it’s probably because he has more pride than he should. He decides to run seriously enough but doesn’t give it his all while next to Taehyung. Taehyung, on the other hand, rubber-necks his head, looking around at the Alphas and making funny little side comments.“Hey, hey,” Taehyung repeatedly hits Jimin in the bicep, “look, there’s that Alpha from yesterday,”Jimin only clenches his jaw and picks up his pace even more, “No, thank you,”“Jimin, no, I meant that other Alpha, the non-Asshole one,” Taehyung says with a tinge of eagerness, “man, his scent must be really strong already if the other Alphas are giving him that much distance,”At that comment, Jimin lets his curiosity win and slowly slides his eyes over, hoping to be as discrete as possible. Said Alpha is off to the side of the Alpha yard, choosing to jump rope. He switches one foot to another and back to both with ease, speeding up and slowing down without missing a single jump. Jimin continues to watch hoping he’ll see the Alpha stumble but he never does. Finally, the Alpha stops the rope with his chest slightly panting. Then, he grabs the bottom of his scrub top and pulls it up to rub at the sweat building on his forehead, revealing a not-so-modest six-pack.“Like what you see?” Taehyung teases, snapping Jimin out of his stare and forcing him to focus on the track in front of him.“Show off,” Jimin mumbles unconvincingly.“Yeah,” Taehyung snickers, looking ahead as well, “but isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”Jimin grits his teeth again, unable to come up with a decent reply. He only continues to run, faced stubbornly forward with his breath heaving and scent hotspots tingling. The next day's outdoor course is a little different from the first. The Omegas and Alphas warm up as they did the day previous, but after an hour the eagerly awaited Alpha obstacle course starts.Omegas are put up on some ratty, high-school worthy bleachers, to ensure equal viewing pleasure of the Alphas sweating and struggling through a military level obstacle course of sorts. Groups of ten Alphas run the course along side each other, where they neither hinder nor aid each other through it. It’s interesting to watch how each group fares for the ten to fifteen minutes it takes to complete the course.But, it’s Jimin’s third time watching said course, which has changed minimally between two years, so the interest he has in it is very little.Taehyung claps along here and there next to Jimin when groups finish the course, all muddy from the crawling under barb wire section. Taehyung hisses when an Alpha fails to jump and stumbles over one hurdle. It doesn't take much time for the Alpha springs right back up from his fall though and to continue on.“You can do it!” Taehyung booms while standing, clapping his hands loudly. And sure enough, the Alpha speeds up and finishes the course middle of his group. The Alpha takes the bottle of water offered to him with a nod of thanks before turning his body towards the Omega crowd. He smiles something brilliant and waves to Taehyung, who gasps and sits down quickly.“You’re joking, right?” Jimin bursts out between his snickers, “you cause a big scene like that and then decide to act like a blushing school girl?”“Is he still looking this way?” Taehyung mutters behind the hands covering his face.“Well, no,” Jimin eyes the Alpha who is looking a little more than dejected from Taehyung’s response, “poor guy’s frowning down at his feet now,”“No,” Taehyung gasps, pulling his hands back to stare at the Alpha, “but he did so well!”“Only because you cheered him on,” Jimin jokingly elbow-jabs him. Taehyung doesn’t take it so well because he sharply and not-so-jokingly jabs Jimin right back.“Shut up,” Taehyung shoots back quickly before brightening up, “oh hey, great timing, let’s see how your red-headed asshole does,”Jimin snorts loudly and crosses his arms over his chest, “I don’t care how he does quite frankly,”“Well, maybe you should tell him that before he’s pointing right at you,” Taehyung replies, deadpanned.“What?” Jimin hisses, looking over and sure enough, the Jerk is pointing at Jimin and blowing him a kiss before he turns around and faces the start of the obstacle course, “fucking prick,” Jimin murmurs under his breath and then the horn goes off.Ten minutes later and the red-headed Jerk is the first to finish the course in his group, and he chooses to dump the offered bottle of water over his head in celebration. He points to Jimin again and does some obscene actions Jimin quickly looks away from before they could get too graphic.“Ain’t he eager?” Taehyung even chokes, surprisingly startled, “please, don’t let him bond with you,”“Over my dead body, Taehyung,” Jimin replies sourly, “over my dead, cold and completely unwilling body,”The next group is up and Jimin immediately recognizes one of the Alphas. His hair is dark brown, with it shimmering highlights of gold under the sun. One hand moves his long bangs away from his face before he bounces side to side on his feet, rolling his shoulders back and forth as he stretches on the starting line. When the horn goes, the Alpha speeds through the course like he did it every damn day. He slides under the barb wire section easily, climbs the large wooden walls with his arm veins bulging and his legs stretch over the hurdles with little trouble.He comes out first, without much surprise.What does come as a surprise is as he sips on his water bottle, he gazes over to Jimin and raises his eyebrows high. Jimin isn’t really sure what the hell that even means, but Jimin quickly unfreezes himself enough to put two big thumbs up. Like the fucking nerd he is.The Alpha’s chest moves as if he just choked mid-sip and then the damn cutest and most unexpectedly bunny smile sprouts through his lips. Not that Jimin would ever admit that out-loud.“I see you’ll be taking the cream of the crop this year,” Taehyung states calmly and casually, as if it were a matter of fact.Jimin bites his bottom lip and looks down to his lap, “only if he can find me,”The words were supposed to be playful, but it definitely sounded a little more hopeful than what Jimin was going for.“Aw, Jimin,” Taehyung throws an arm around Jimin and holds him close, “don’t you worry about a thing, an Alpha like that won’t stop until he does find you,”Jimin smiles something crooked but keeps the ‘if he even wants to find me’ thoughts to himself. "Runs: The History " was another course Jimin hated (okay, maybe he hates them all). But he chooses to take it again anyway because it was either that or take the bullshit "Alpha Needs" course a second time. Obviously, the State doesn’t expect Omegas to take part in more than two Runs because the course selection for the Runs were so limited.“Back some centuries ago, when we were much more primitive, our scents were stronger than they were today and we had much more trust in our instincts to guide us through life. This would include finding other strong and stable packs to build upon or, of course, when it came to finding potential mates,” the lecturer starts slowly, nearly droning as she goes, “but due to some evolutionary and technological advancements, we’ve toned down these genetic instincts which would otherwise hinder us in the modern world. Alpha posturing certainly wouldn’t do well in board meetings, for example,” the Omegas around whisper and slightly giggle at the comment as their imaginations run wild with big chested and heavy-browed Alphas in suits. Jimin doesn’t do anything because the female Omega lecturer made the same joke last year. “That being said, with the lack of scent helping guide compatible Omegas and Alphas together, fertility rates dropped due to the number of miscarriages from incompatible bonds,” the lecturer takes a deep breath before changing to the next slide, “As you have probably been taught before, only an Omega and Alpha pair, regardless of genders, can birth an Alpha or Omega child, though a Beta child is also possible. Presentations aside, any male can procreate with any female and produce a Beta as well. It was during this period that lead to the steady increase of Betas across the world, nearly wiping out all Alphas and Omegas alike. Thankfully, the immunization fluid was successfully created in time to increase Omega’s and Alpha’s natural instincts and scents for a brief period of time and the Runs as we known them today were launched, with some tweaking here and there as time went on.”The lecturer went on about notable Runs across the world, with some institutes holding unique traditions, like how one institute had their Alphas carry their bonded Omegas back to the main grounds from where they bonded in the designated Running area. She went on to share romantic stories between Omegas and Alphas that had bonded on Runs, which had the Omegas around Jimin ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Jimin only slid further down in his chair and wished the lecture’s end to arrive. The third and final outdoor course was where the Omegas were to shine. Omegas were to go through the same obstacle course as the Alphas had done the day previous. While the Alphas going through the course was to represent their brute strength, and will to take care and protect an Omega, the Omegas running the course was to represent how strong, healthy and fertile the Omega was, therefore able withstand the stress of child birth and protect their offsprings. Luckily enough, Jimin was set to be in one of the first few groups to go through. He stretched his tired and stiff limps the best he could from his morning lectures, since he couldn’t afford to cramp halfway through the course. He sat on the ground and pulled his legs apart into an easy split, bending over and resting his head as close to his knee as he could as the first group of Omegas set off on the course.“Well, aren’t you bendy this year?” Taehyung says from above him, causing Jimin to tilt his head up in response.“Dancing throughout your school days can do that to you,” Jimin breathes out and turns around to stretch over the other leg.“Maybe all Omegas should take up dancing then,” Taehyung sighs, crossing his arms while peering over to the bleachers which held the loud and rowdy Alphas, “because I sure know it isn’t me all those Alphas are drooling over right now,”“As if,” Jimin snorts and looks over his shoulders to the bleachers. His gaze meets with warm chocolate and his breath catches.The Alpha Jimin gave the thumbs up to the day previous was pretty much pinning Jimin down with his stare. The intent and slightly heated stare sends shivers down Jimin’s spine and notably makes Jimin want to tilt his head to the side and bare his—and that’s enough goddamn stretching Jimin. So, he springs up from the ground as quickly as he can and turns his back to the bleachers.“I’m guessing you saw then?” Taehyung smiles all box-like and mischievous.“I saw enough,” Jimin mutters, willing his blush to die down, “good luck during your race,”and he offers his fist forward. Taehyung quickly turns his smile into a smirk and meets Jimin’s fist with his own.“Good luck yourself, I bet I’ll rank higher in my group than you,” Taehyung backs away, playfully shooting finger guns.Jimin laughs in return as he backs away himself, “you’re on!” And then Jimin jogs over to his place in the next line-up.The horn blares and Jimin just goes forward with all his might. He’s not a harlequin dainty Omega by any means, and he’s going to make sure the Alphas watching recognize and respect that. Jimin can see that he has two Omegas in front of him at about the halfway point but he knows he can gain a lead with the right technique up the rope wall and can confidently hop through the rows of tires without stumbling. The yellow finish line appears tied tight in front of Jimin until he runs through it, being the first in his group to finish. The feeling of victory washes through him and he can’t help the giant smile taking over his face.He gulps down his water greedily and probably unattractively because his dancing days aren’t too far behind him but aren’t that close either. He finally stops drinking to gasp in some air again. His eyes are then pulled to the bleachers where a certain Alpha sits, or as Jimin can now see, stands. The Alpha is among his sitting peers, staring where Jimin stands with fists clenched and his bottom lip chewed between his teeth. The veins in his neck and arms are popping and so prominent that Jimin is thinking something might be wrong.Another female Alpha next to the standing Alpha grips at one flexing arm and drags the Alpha down roughly next to her. She’s saying something into the stiff Alpha’s ear, her own face stern and almost reprimanding as the words seem to have a relaxing effect on the Alpha. His penetrating gaze on Jimin softens with every second until he looks away completely.Jimin feels his lungs suddenly start to work again when the Alpha looks away, and then this feeling of emptiness fills him, and it terrifies Jimin.He tries to distract himself by focusing on Taehyung’s race, and is somewhat successful because Taehyung is struggling to the max and it’s comical to watch. Taehyung trips over air more than should be normal, making the tires and hurdles his worst nightmare, but obstacles involving upper body and arm strength is where he catches up and finally, finishes the race about mid-group. An obnoxious but cheerful yelling is echoed across the field, shocking Taehyung and innocent bystanders alike. In the bleachers sits the Alpha Taehyung cheered on the day previous, hollering his own cheers of encouragement towards a blushing Taehyung.“How’s Bambi doing?” Jimin teases when Taehyung hurriedly scurries his way after the Alpha quiets down.“Shut up, Hulk Junior,” Taehyung hisses back, using the upper part of his scrub top to absorb his brow sweat, “I don’t remember you being this good last year,”“I had a bit more practice than the others is all,” was Jimin’s sour reply. His eyes roam back to the bleachers to the Alpha who stood up for him earlier. He’s still sitting down, yawning a little, seeming to be more interested with picking at his nails than the rest of the Omega races.“Well, I think that with or without practice,” Taehyung’s tone softens along with his expression, eyes darting once to an area in the bleachers, “a certain someone would’ve still took notice of you.”Jimin chews his bottom lip a little stronger, toying with it until he sighs, “whatever,” Jimin turns his back fully to the bleachers, “I’m going to shower, you coming with?” Jimin attempts a small smile when he sees Taehyung’s worried expression, “unless you’re planning to take more notice of a certain banshee in the stands?”Taehyung straightens up stiffly, huffing and stuttering a reply before he stomps past Jimin towards the Omega washrooms. Before Jimin left for his First Run, his Alpha father, the one carrying the Park gene, heavily warned him of what he as a Park should expect from the Run.One story was about a great aunt a few generations back who had injured herself right at the beginning of the Run and couldn’t get to a decent hiding spot before the Alphas were released. His father went into uncomfortable detail about how much carnage can happen between a group of frenzied Alphas over a strong and overly-compatible Omega scent.Another recent story was about his second cousin who Ran three years prior. He was hunted by a particularly strong but distasteful smelling Alpha for a good few hours, despite his cousin’s refusal to create a bond. While running for his life, his cousin caught scent of a compatible mate and booked it until he reached the Alpha attached to it. The confused Alpha barely stood a chance when he got an armful of a panting and delicious smelling Omega baring his neck.His Alpha father didn’t have an easy time being an Alpha either. Omegas came out of their hiding spots to grip at him, making it hard to find his own compatible mate, all the while making other Alphas jealous and irritable. But alas, Jimin’s Alpha father did eventually find his Omega Father sitting on a rock in the middle of a deep and treacherous river. Jimin’s Alpha father nearly drowned getting to him, his Omega father would recall fondly, while his Alpha father would immediately deny and defend that he was a great swimmer.So, during Jimin’s First Run, he ran with all his might through the Run sanctioned forest until he found a large and sturdy tree. He jumped up a few times before he caught the lowest hanging branch and pulled himself up. He climbed the tree about half way up, the leaves adding enough camouflage to block Jimin out of sight but still offering enough visual for Jimin to observe the forest floor.The idea was that Alphas would actually have to convince Jimin to come down through their scent and words together in order to bond. And if an Alpha tried to get to Jimin and force a bond against regulations, Jimin would just kick them out and down the tree.But, after seeing about five Alphas run by without so much of a pause, Jimin knew something was up. He tried climbing down a branch at a time, thinking maybe his scent was too diluted with the height. The Alphas just kept on running by, not sparing Jimin a glance.One female Alpha actually saw Jimin. She looked up when Jimin accidentally snapped a small twig off with a slip of his foot. They held eye contact for a few moments, her scent slowly drifting up and it was pleasant enough. Nothing special, Jimin supposed, but it was the first Alpha to notice him, thus making his heart pick up and race.Then, the female’s head snapped away to another direction with her nostrils flaring before she bolted off.A whine echoes from the back of Jimin’s throat as his body leans towards the direction the Alpha ran off too. Rejection settled deep in his gut, sloshing around bitter and uncomfortable.Little did Jimin know that said feeling would only intensify and spread when a loud alarm blared an hour later, announcing the end of the Run. The morning of the Run, the Omegas are rounded up and given one more lecture on what-to-do and what-not-to-do during the Run before they’re shot with a fluid booster. Five minutes after, they’re cattle into buses and driven to a clearing in the sanctioned Run area.“You good?” Taehyung asks quietly from next to Jimin in the crowd of Omegas. Jimin looks down to his bare feet on grass since shoes were prohibited on Runs and left on the buses.“Could be better,” Jimin replies honestly. The scrubs he’s been wearing for the past three days felt heavy on his body and were scratching uncomfortably against his now itchy scent hotspots, thanks to the booster, “you?”“Pretty good,” Taehyung says back, looking into the forest line a few meters away, “I have a feeling..this year’s the one.”Jimin can’t help the smirk that twitches onto his lips, “just don’t injure yourself when you and your Alpha trip over each other in there,”Taehyung riles back with his mouth open in exaggerated offence, “I’ll have you know it’s only because he’s going to fall head of heels over me as soon as we meet,” Taehyung then sets his eyes into a fake glare, “let's see how coordinated your Alpha is when he finds—“A horn blares and chaos erupts as the Omegas run in every way and direction, shoving Jimin and Taehyung apart as they move. Jimin feels his limbs start to pick up pace and then he’s in the forest. He recalls a bit of the forest layout from the two previous years, but most of what Jimin has past is unfamiliar.His ears soon catches the sound of rushing water, so he curves his path to find the source. A small river eventually stops Jimin in his tracks. He kneels down and smells the water cautiously, his nose picking up on the fresh and clear scent of drinkable water (another perk of the immunization fluid). In the middle of gathering handfuls of water to sip, Jimin hears the alarm horn go off in a far distance, signalling the release of the Alphas. Jimin takes a few deep breaths in and out before he stands and bolts up the river. His heart throbs as Jimin pushes his body to go faster, to find the end of the river before an Alpha can catch sight of him. The river Jimin is following gets wider with its current getting rougher, catching Jimin’s interest. The river's path bends sharply and around the corner, Jimin digs his heels into the ground and halts.The waterfall is a beautiful sight, large and monstrous with its mist heavy in the air. Jimin walks closer and closer, eyeing the deep pool of water the waterfall pours into and resists the urge to dive in. Being around a waterfall will diffuse his scent well, but drenching himself in it would pretty much mute it.Something snaps from behind Jimin, and he jumps before turning around to the noise.“No…” Jimin whispers in horror, eyes widening.“Found you,”The Alpha’s red hair in stuck to his sweaty forehead, stringy and wet. A crooked and victorious smirk stretches as the Alpha’s eyes stare at Jimin’s neck. Jimin’s immediately covers one hand over his neck and reels his head back when the Alpha’s scent hits him. It’s an overly fragrant musk that’s sharp and makes Jimin’s insides want to shrivel up.“No,” Jimin says again, but firmer, taking a step back, “move along,”“Funny,” the Alpha says in-between his panting breaths, “I can barely smell you,” he removes his gaze to quickly glance at the river before it settles back to Jimin’s hand covered neck, “why don’t you remove your hand so I can get a better smell, what do you say Park?” “I respectfully refuse to bond,” Jimin hisses the words taught to every Omega, taking more steps back and towards the waterfall. The Alpha continues to match every step though.“Let me just smell you,” the Alpha coos, mouth opening for his tongue to run over his teeth and Jimin can see the canines grow sharp with anticipation, “Just a whiff and I’ll be on my way,”Jimin hesitates, eyes searching and hands quivering as they continue the slow cat and mouse game. On the ground by Jimin's feet lays a large rock that would fit perfectly in Jimin's hand, so he takes the opportunity. He picks the rock up quickly and says, “get a whiff of this!” And then the rock makes contact with one of the Alpha’s eyes.Jimin is already running towards the falls when the Alpha’s pained yelp echoes. A growl is shortly heard afterward along with the thumping of running feet. Jimin finally reaches the rocky wall of the falls and climbs what he can. His feet and hands slip on the water and moss slick rocks, making it even harder to climb. The Alpha is hot on Jimin’s trail, sputtering obscene phrases and scenarios of what’s going to happen when he catches Jimin and it only furthers Jimin’s resolve to try and climb faster.He finally reaches the top of the falls and continues to run his tired limps away from the Alpha. He chances a look over his shoulder and that was the moment Jimin messed up. An unexpected tree root magically appears out of no where and Jimin’s ankle twists and tangles into it. Jimin falls forward, hands scratching along the ground to catch himself and a pain stings within the ankle still caught.A hand then wraps around Jimin’s free ankle and pulls on him roughly, “ha! Caught you!” The Alpha laughs, his smells much stronger and more pungent up close.“Let me go!” Jimin yells out loudly, thrashing his leg within the Alpha’s hold while aiming to kick his abdomen, “I don’t give my consent, damnit!”The Alpha’s crazed smile suddenly falls off his face and Jimin can hear the Alpha sniff loudly. The Alpha leans in closer and his eyebrows scrunch together in confusion, “why is your scent so weak? Aren’t you a Park?”“Fuck off,” Jimin hisses through his teeth and this time his kick lands, knocking the air out of the Alpha. Jimin yanks hard and frees at the foot stuck in the root in time to stand up, though a throb in his ankle causes him to pause.“Fucking Omegas,” the Alpha coughs with his arms around his middle while he struggles to stand straight, “after I bond and fill you with pups, I’m going to show you to respect your superiors, you good for nothing Breeder.”Jimin feels anger rise in him like never before and even though he should escape while the Alpha is weak, his anger tells him otherwise.“Take that back,” Jimin growls, fists clenched and shaking at his sides, “take that back, you fucker,” It was extremely derogatory to say Omegas were only good for birthing and were below other presentations for it, so calling any Omega a Breeder was a slap in the face.“Or what?” The Alpha laughs, finally straightening up, “Don’t worry, my family seed is so strong that it’ll stick in any weak Breeder,”The feeling of being violated creeps up Jimin’s heated and angry body, running Jimin so hot that he races forward and sucks the motherfucker in the mouth. It's surprising that it lands, but it lands with a price because the Alpha easily catches Jimin’s wrist shortly after. Jimin struggles to free his wrist, kicking and shoving here and there as the Alpha laughs and mocks him, his choice of words getting more and more crude. Jimin's other hand suddenly flies and scratches the Alpha’s cheek, shocking both the Alpha and Jimin. The Alpha lets Jimin go unexpectedly and Jimin feels himself falling backwards. He falls and falls until his body plunges into ice cold water. Jimin flails his limps around until his head breaks the surface of the water and he attempts to gasp in the air around him. Jimin does try to swim to the shore of the now raging river, but the pull of the waterfall is too strong. Jimin looks around to the Alpha frantically, but he’s now nowhere in sight.“Help!” He shouts as loud as he can but then the current dips and Jimin goes with it. His family was surprised when Jimin came home alone after his First Run. When asked what happened, Jimin could only shrug his shoulders.“He’s waiting for the right one,” his Alpha father drawled, elbowing his Omega father, “he can afford to be a little picky, our son only deserves the best,”His Omega father squirms at those words, uncomfortable but accepting in his own way as he nods.Jimin never mentions how many Alphas had past him by, or the female Alpha who chose to chase after a different Omega’s scent to anyone, but his brother is always an exception.“Really? That many?” His brother whispers one night from his bed, quickly turning onto his side in his surprise, “not one of them noticed your scent?”“Nope,” Jimin whispered back with a grunt, turning his back to his brother, “and I don’t know why.”“Maybe you should see a doctor...” his brother mumbles with some worry, “I promise I won’t tell anyone if you do,”Jimin only sighs back.But three days later, the image of the female Alpha’s back nags at Jimin. It's enough that he does drop by to a walk-in Omega clinic after his last class of the day. Jimin checks the mail regularly a week later, much to his parents’ suspicion, but he ignores the curious stares when new mail steadily appears on the kitchen table whenever his parents both arrive from work.The letter does eventually come, and all the results are negative for any anomalies. Jimin is as healthy as any other Omega, so he’s back to square-one.So, it’s no doubt that Jimin is more than a little nervous for his Second Run. Taehyung helps his nerves a little with his fidgety excitement and gets Jimin to answer all his inquiries with positivity, which improves Jimin's mood overall.Jimin runs the track at a moderate speed when he feels a chill up his spine.He looks over to the Alpha side and sees a tall Alpha with red hair staring him down. Jimin raises his brows in curiosity when the Alpha suddenly blows him a kiss and mouths something to him before sniffing the air. Then it hits him what the Alpha mouthed.
Park.
The alpha knew Jimin was a Park and that’s…worrisome in the least. No one is supposed to share their backgrounds during the Run, though there are no actual rules against it. Experts do warn that preconceived ideas of potential bond mates could overtake the induced instincts of the immunization fluid, thus increasing the risk of an incompatible bond.Jimin isn’t sure how this Alpha found out about him, but he sure is putting caution to the wind with his interest in Jimin, or rather, his lineage. The Alpha is…distasteful with the way he shows his interest, if Jimin would to put it politely. Jimin is 100% not interested and sure hopes the guy’s scent isn’t so good as to fog his judgement should he stumble across the Alpha on the Run.The day of the Run finally arrives and the Omegas are plopped into a different clearing from Jimin’s First Run. Before he can get a good look at his new surroundings, the alarm sounds and Jimin is then running around with the rest of the Omegas. He’s still running vigorously when the second alarm goes off but luckily, Jimin finally stumbles onto something worth his while a few minutes later.Beyond a few large trees has another clearing filled with grass so tall that it reaches Jimin’s chest. Jimin walks quietly into the tall grass, enjoying the feel of the blades caressing his skin. He then pauses and decides to sit down around the middle of the field and wait it out from there. The field was open and breezy, allowing Jimin’s scent to travel a little further for any passing Alpha, yet the grass was tall enough that any Alpha interested would still have to search for him.After an hour or two, Jimin knows for certain that the Alphas can in fact smell him, to his relief. The only thing is that they can’t smell him well. He hears rustling from surrounding patches of grass as Alpha after Alpha looks for him, only for them to give up a few minutes later.“Smells like they only passed through anyways,” one Alpha said bitterly a few minutes after Jimin heard nearby grass swooshing and snapping as the Alpha looked for him.Jimin sighs once the Alpha is fully out of the grass field, “well, I didn’t like your scent anyway,” he mumbles under his breath. After an hour of cloud watching, Jimin hears a voice echoing off into the distance, which is nothing unusual, until he hears the words.“Park!” The voice yells, “why don’t you come out to play?”And then Jimin smells him. He actually physically gags at the nauseatingly musky scent stinging his nose. Jimin peeps his head a little upwards and he sees a familiar flash of red. Jimin has never been more thankful for an awful scent before, but he sure is in this situation. Jimin rather vomit than bond with the red-headed asshole of an Alpha, and his biology is showing that it agrees with his wishes. The Alpha passes by like the rest of them, leaving Jimin to fiddle with the blades of grass in his lap, braiding, knotting and making a few bracelets for each wrist. His wrists have about five bracelets each by the time the final alarm blares, marking the end of Jimin’s Second Run. It’s cold, is what Jimin thinks when he comes through. His eyes feel sticky as they blink open and the sight before him is a little strange. He’s surrounded by rock, almost like a cave, with the exception of the wall of rushing water at the end of the cavern. A smell accosts him and it’s so divine that it confuses Jimin to the point that he’s convinced he must be dreaming.“Hello?”Jimin is immediately startled by the greeting behind him and scrambles around to face it. He lets out a hiss when his ankle protests against his movements.“Be careful,” the voice says softly, getting closer, “I think you sprained your ankle,”Jimin’s vision focuses as the person comes into the light, and oh god, it’s that Alpha. The Alpha who has been giving Jimin hope that he doesn’t know he can have, and he smells so damn good.Jimin stays quiet, eyes wide as they stare at the Alpha sitting a few respectable feet away. But, that doesn’t stop Jimin’s hand from smacking and feeling around his neck for a bite.The Alpha instantly gasps at Jimin's action, “I-I-I didn’t—would never—!” He lungs forwards, eyes worried and concerned before something snaps and he scurries back, “I mean, I’m Jungkook.” He whispers, “I saw you fall down the falls and rushed to pull you out of the water and um, I think you may have hit your head?”Jimin removes his hand from his neck and slowly reaches for the back of his head where a tender bump had formed. Jimin gulps down his nerves, eyes darting around, “are we behind the falls?” Jimin finds himself asking“Yeah,” Jungkook scratches behind his head, maybe his own nervous habit Jimin thinks, “I just, I thought since you were injured, it was better to have water nearby to mute your scent until you woke up,”“And after?” Oh god, did that just fly out of his mouth? Jimin curses himself immediately and tries to backtrack, “sorry! I mean…” he pauses, looking down and at his scrapped palms from his first fall, “I’m Jimin, thanks for…helping me.”Jungkook waves his hands a little, face showing discomfort, “please don’t thank me, anyone would have done it.”Jimin pouts a little, eyeing Jungkook’s and his flushing cheeks. It’s really charming to Jimin, that a big brute of an Alpha who breezes through obstacle courses is able to cower and fumble with their words and actions.“Thanks all the same,” Jimin whispers back, and then the silence grows between them. Jimin watches Jungkook’s chest rise and fall at a steady rate, and Jimin wonders if any of his scent is coming through. He knows his chances are slim to none because he basically gave himself a bath, washing lingering sweat and smells clean off him and his scrubs.Jimin’s thoughts finally snap back to the idea that Jimin is still very much participating in a Run, and he has no idea how much time has past.“How long have I been out?” Jimin hurriedly asks, scrambling his limbs so he can stand. Which is taking more effort than he thought. His legs wobble and his head is suddenly throbbing when he does get to standing, but then an arm and a very good smell gets around Jimin’s back and supports him. “Please take it easy,” Jungkook nearly scolds in a soft but stern way as his grip tightens, “you’re injured and it’s only been about a half hour,”“O-okay,” Jimin manages to gasp as Jungkook’s scent assaults him in all the right ways. Jimin leans into Jungkook more on instinct than anything else and Jimin catches himself a little too late.Jimin watches Jungkook’s bobbing Adam’s apple in fascination, “you okay?” Jungkook asks, breaking Jimin out of his trance.“Sitting!” Jimin blurts out, now leaning away from Jungkook though his scent hotspots are tingling and itching more by the second, and they beg Jimin to rub against Jungkook more, “I think sitting back down is a good idea,” and Jimin tears himself from Jungkook’s hold to sit down, minding his sore ankle.Jimin pulls his legs up and rest his chin on his knees as Jungkook's moves to sit down in front of him.Silence sinks in again as Jungkook and him just… stare at each other. Jimin tries to get hints of anything from Jungkook, but he’s coming up dry and the familiar feeling of rejection is gurgling low in his belly.“What do you want to do now?” Jungkook suddenly asks quietly.Jimin’s mouth falls open for a bit but he can’t seem to find an answer.“What about you?” Jimin asks back instead, “you can go, I won’t mind,” he sure hopes the words sound much more authentic than what he feels.“I’m not leaving you,” Jungkook fires back quickly, eyebrows down with disapproval before they quickly relax, “unless you want me to, that is,”“I mean,” Jimin finally breaks their stare to look to the waterfall, “I imagine there isn’t much time left to the Run,”“There’s enough,” Jungkook firmly replies back, “there’s more than enough time.”Jimin is pretty much confused from there, “not if you’re going to sit here with me,”“I,” Jungkook manages before his own confident eyes weaken and look away, “I want to be here and get to know you better, if that’s all right?”A large fluttering feeling bursts from Jimin’s chest and Jimin is suddenly feeling much lighter.“You want…to get to know me?”Jimin tries, unable to actually believe what he heard.“Yes, but only if you’re okay with it,” Jungkook nods, hands tightly gripping his knees now.“Yeah, but,” Jimin purses his lips as he tries to find the words, “can you…smell me? It’s my Third Run, and I know my scent is kind of—““Yes,”Jimin’s jaw snaps shut with an audible click after the unexpected growl coming from Jungkook’s chest.“Yes, I can smell you. Very well in fact,” Jungkook mutters out through his clenched jaw, eyes now nearly burning holes into Jimin’s throat, “you smell…like the earth after it rains.”Jimin’s jaw drops because this, this is too good to be true.“Oh,” is what Jimin, a full-time intellect, decides to reply with.“And you?” Jungkook jaw is noticeably more relaxed as his eyes now stare into the direction of the waterfall, “do you…smell me?”“Yes,” Jimin immediately replies back, “you, um, you smell warm? Like…firewood maybe, I can’t really describe it?”Jungkook nods slightly, eyes still on the waterfall, though his hands kneed at his thighs,”is it… good?”Jimin nods, though he thought his constant flushing cheeks were answer enough, “you?”Jungkook nods, and finally looks back to Jimin, “so…are we good?” There’s a lot behind that question, but Jimin is pretty sure all the answers are affirmative. So, he nods again.“Third Run, you said?” Jungkook asks, body loosening at the sudden change of subject, “it’s my First,”Jimin hums back, “I thought so, I didn’t recognized you,”Jungkook freezes a little but then frowns just a second before it disappears, “I, um, I recognized you…I mean, we’ve met before,”Jimin finds his head tilting, startled because he definitely doesn’t recall meeting Jungkook before.“I was in your brother’s grade,” Jungkook says softly, “you helped me when I first transferred, during second year middle school,”Jimin rakes through his memory, willing an image to pop up but nothing comes, “I’m sorry,” Jimin whispers, “I don’t…”“It’s okay,” Jungkook quickly says, putting up a hand to stop Jimin from apologizing further, “it was a long time ago anyways. You saw my uniform and I guess I looked really lost?”God, Jimin wishes he could remember the event and closes his eyes, willing his memories to work for him for once when an image of bunny teeth appears in his fore-mind.“Ah!” Jimin claps, “I remember now!” His eyes ad lips smile widely and naturally as the memory replays in his mind, “you did look lost, your eyes were so wide and confused.” Jimin looks Jungkook up and down and, wow, puberty hit Jungkook hard. His front teeth are still a little prominent, but the rest of Jungkook has definitely changed. Baby fat cheeks transformed into a chiseled jaw and sharp cheekbones, his frame is large, muscled and no doubt taller than Jimin, when Jimin is sure he had a few inches on him years back.“I always wanted to thank you for helping me,”Jungkook’s lips form a small and fond smile, though his eyes are on the rocky floor between them, “I only saw you once after, when you came for your brother and my high school grad, but I was worried you wouldn’t remember me,”Jimin nods and bites unto his bottom lip in thought, “it’s okay, it’s not anything to thank me for anyways,”“You’re wrong,” Jungkook insists, “I was standing there for fifteen minutes, being too damn awkward and shy to ask any passerby. I was completely new to the area and so close to being late for my first day when you came along and helped me. So, I—I am really thankful for that day,”“Okay, okay,” Jimin says lightly, nodding his head, now smiling a little at Jungkook’s persistence, “you are very welcome, Jungkook, I’m sorry you had to wait that long for someone to help you in the first place,”“I’m not,” Jungkook shoots back, a smirk unexpectedly replacing his smile, “any sooner and we wouldn’t have met,”Jimin chokes on the air at Jungkook’s flirtatious tone and he’s actually, kind of, totally digging it.“Too much?” Jungkook asks, hesitant and worried.Jimin shakes his head rapidly, “no! Not at all, perfectly fine, really…fine,”“Okay,” then the smile is back and Jimin feels a wave of relief wash over him.They keep chatting, asking questions about each other here and there. It’s nice, really nice, but something lingers in the air and takes up a big space between Jungkook and Jimin.There’s an attraction, Jimin knows (hopes) this, and his instincts are screaming at him to bare his neck and whine out his pleas. The end of the Run is nearing, it’s nearing really quickly and Jimin is itching for Jungkook to do something, anything.Instead, Jungkook tells a funny story and Jimin is nearly rolling on the ground in laughter. He accidentally rolls his ankle the wrong way and it stops his laughter short.Jungkook is suddenly much closer, cool hands gently holding at Jimin’s ankle while his eyes tell of concern. “Does it still hurt?” he asks, “maybe some cool rocks would turn down the swelling,” Jungkook then nods, determined with his idea, “I’ll be right bac—“ Jimin’s hand latches onto one of Jungkook’s wrist before he can process the action.“Don’t go,” his mouth also seems to be another thing he can’t control. Nonetheless, Jungkook complies and stays right where he is, frozen in time with the exception of his eyes searching Jimin’s.“I’m not going anywhere,” Jungkook whispers, softly and, much to Jimin’s demise, heatedly, “if you don’t want me to go, I won’t.”“Okay,” Jimin whispers back, eyes breaking away from Jungkook to see his hand still locked around Jungkook’s wrist. So he lets go, only for Jungkook’s own hand to clasps Jimin’s.“Jimin,” Jungkook starts, inching closer, “Jimin, would it be okay if I kiss you?”“Please,” is Jimin’s whining reply and Jungkook’s lips are on his in seconds.The kiss starts off light and hesitant, both unsure of what to expect. When a cooling and shuddering sensation runs through Jimin and tickles his scent hotspots, he turns his head and moves his lips more, exploring the new and enjoyable feeling.One of Jungkook’s hand cradles the back of Jimin’s neck carefully as he also deepens their kiss. It’s strange how the way Jungkook smells is almost the same as he tastes, warm, comforting and completely irresistible.They break apart a few seconds later and Jimin’s mind is hazy with everything Jungkook.“Wow,” is what comes out of his mouth.“Yeah,” Jungkook replies, “one more time,”And before Jimin can voice his enthusiastic approval, their mouths meet in an open-mouth kiss that’s almost scolding with its heat and ferocity. Their tongues meet and Jungkook’s taste is so much more potent that Jimin just wants to drink it up. Jungkook’s scent is noticeably much stronger than it was before and Jimin realizes why when Jungkook gets closer, straddling Jimin’s good leg. A telltale something is firming, and it sends Jimin’s own arousal into overdrive.His mind and body is screaming at him to mate, to bond, to connect with Jungkook somehow and it feels like a hole he never knew existed is gapping and hollow in his chest. Then Jungkook rips himself back and crawls backwards from Jimin.Jimin gasps, like he’s just been stabbed because Jungkook is getting away from him and why is he doing that?Jungkook is panting across the cave, eyes wide and locked on Jimin. Flushed skin runs up his throat, cheeks and ears, while the veins in his arms bulge and tense against something Jimin can’t see.“Why…?” Jimin chokes out, hands clutching his chest, feeling that it’s still, in fact, there and in tact.“I—“ Jungkook starts but is interrupted by the roaring sound of the final alarm.The Run is over. Jimin’s Third and Final Run, is done and he is still without a bond.“Oh god,” Jimin whispers in horror, “I…my fathers…what?” Jimin looks to Jungkook for answers for a split second, but quickly looks away because he’s afraid of what he’s going to see.There’s this silence and Jimin can only take so much of it. So, he grips at the rocky wall behind him and forces himself to stand.“I guess,” Jimin starts lowly, throat slightly croaky, “we should head back,” He turns towards the falls, face downturned as he begins to limp away.“J-Jimin!” Jungkook’s voice echoes in the cave, loud and urgent, “Wait, you, you’re going?”Jimin looks over his shoulder, “you heard the alarm,” he mutters, “all bonded…and non-bonded Omegas and Alphas are to report back to the starting point.” Jimin then looks forward again, “Good luck on your next Run,”Before he knows it, Jungkook standing right in front of Jimin in a blink of an eye. Jimin startles and moves back slightly, but Jungkook reaches forward and grabs onto Jimin’s hand.“I don’t really understand--” Jungkook says slowly, almost slightly angry with his words, which confused Jimin, “why you’re wishing me luck, when we’re not done here,”“The alarm—““Fuck the alarm Jimin,” Jungkook presses, eyes sharpening, “Please, you only need to tell me you don’t want to bond with me and I’ll let you go, but don’t go wishing good luck on my next Run when I’d have anything but.”Jimin knows he’s gaping at Jungkook like a fish, his replies continuing to confuse him, “Of course I want to bond with you!” Jimin nearly cries, “I was, I was ready to…offer but you jumped away, so I thought—“Jungkook’s heavy sigh cuts Jimin off and Jimin clams up, his mind and hormones basically making a mess of his assumptions and overall quality of deep thinking. Jungkook’s eyes soften and Jimin can only look to them for answers, “Jimin, I’m so sorry, I did what I did because I was scared,”“Scared?” Jimin’s voice goes up an octave in disbelief, “you’re scared of me?”“No!” Jungkook snaps, suddenly pulling Jimin close and holding him tight within his arms. His scent is still overwhelmingly strong but it relieves some of the ache in Jimin, “I was so close to biting you right then, without so much of a warning and I just, I had to cool my head in order to ask you properly.”“Oh,” Jimin says into Jungkook’s shoulder, “so you do want to bond,”“Yes,” Jungkook strokes the back of Jimin's head and it’s so soothing and soft, “more than anything,”So, Jimin pulls his head back and looks into Jungkook’s eyes. They’re begging Jimin for something, and Jimin is one hundred percent ready to offer. So, Jimin leans forward to peck at Jungkook’s lips before he tilts his head back and bares his neck.“I’ll be gentle,” Jungkook whispers against his neck, lips tickling against his jugular.“You don’t have to be,” Jimin whispers back, and it causes Jungkook’s lips to stop their small kisses for a few seconds before they return with increased pressure and vigour. Jungkook sucks hard, his gentle promises tossed as the slight pain basically goes straight to Jimin’s groin.Then Jungkook bites and Jimin sees white. His whole body is numb except for his neck, which is in a state of pure ecstasy. Then Jungkook’s teeth unhinge and his tongue licks over the bite while a hand rubs reassuring circles into the base of Jimin’s spine. A few more seconds and Jimin can feel the cool rock floor beneath his feet again.“Jimin,” Jungkook whispers into his neck.“Hmm?”“I’m sorry for making you wait,”Jimin can’t help the laughter bubbling up, so he muffles it by grabbing Jungkook’s face and kissing away the small frown he found there. “Worth it,” Taehyung is hand-in-hand with the clumsy Alpha, like Jimin has anticipated, with the addition of a few scraps.“Sweet mother,” Taehyung gasps, “why are you—I guess that’s karma for you!”Jimin chuckles into Jungkook’s shoulder, who was very keen on giving Jimin a piggyback on their way back to the starting point.“In all seriousness,” Taehyung cuts in, “are you okay?”“Just perfect,” and Jimin tightens his hold around Jungkook’s neck, giving a slight hug. Jimin doesn’t need to see Jungkook head-on to know Jungkook is giving his own bashful grin.Taehyung turns to his Alpha with a scowl, “Are we that gross? Let’s not be that gross,”“Nah,” his mate replies, “we’re cute no matter what we do,”“Damn straight!” And then the duo walk off, giggling amongst themselves.“Don’t listen to them,” Jimin whispers into Jungkook’s ear, which tightens the grip on Jimin’s thighs, “we’re cute too,”Jungkook snorts loudly and hitches Jimin further up on his back, “I know that,”“Brat,” Jimin murmurs and pinches Jungkook’s ear for good measure.“Your brat,” Jungkoook whines back, pulling his head in the opposite direction of the pinched ear.“Yeah,” Jimin whispers back and nuzzles into Jungkook’s neck, “my brat,”